Season ends on sour note for Jordan

Nancy Gay, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PST, Wednesday, December 28, 2005

In his first season as a Raider, LaMont Jordan finally established himself as a starting running back in the NFL. Among his accomplishments, Jordan rushed for 1,025 yards, caught passes for 563 yards and scored a combined 11 touchdowns.

It all sounds good, until Jordan contemplates sitting on the bench Saturday when the Raiders close a disappointing season against the New York Giants (10-5) at the Coliseum.

Not finishing the season, however lousy this one has been for the Raiders (4-11), is a major disappointment for such a competitive, driven player.

A bad case of turf toe on his right foot made the Raiders' leading rusher a spectator in Denver on Saturday for a 22-3 loss. On Tuesday, Jordan said he doesn't believe he'll be able to play on New Year's Eve night against the playoff-bound Giants.

So for him, 2005 ends with even more of a whimper.

"The big thing was for me to play 16 games and show I could handle the load as a starter," said Jordan, who will end up with 14 starts in his first full-time role in that capacity. "A lot of people questioned my ability to handle the load as a starter and when you miss the last two games of the season, that kind of gives them more ammo to use in the offseason."

Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan watches the game in the rain in the final minutes of their NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005, in Oakland, Calif. The Browns won, 9-7. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) less

Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan watches the game in the rain in the final minutes of their NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005, in Oakland, Calif. The Browns won, ... more

Photo: PAUL SAKUMA

Photo: PAUL SAKUMA

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Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan watches the game in the rain in the final minutes of their NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005, in Oakland, Calif. The Browns won, 9-7. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) less

Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan watches the game in the rain in the final minutes of their NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005, in Oakland, Calif. The Browns won, ... more

Photo: PAUL SAKUMA

Season ends on sour note for Jordan

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On an offense that will be remembered for what it didn't accomplish this season, Jordan was one of the few bright spots. At times, he was a productive workhorse, rushing for a season-high 132 yards on 25 carries in the 9-7 loss to Cleveland on Dec. 18. That was his final game.

Jordan, 27, jammed his toe on the Raiders' first offensive series but played most of the game despite the injury. On Tuesday, he was still wearing the protective boot that has encased his right foot the past 10 days.

"Honestly, I kept telling myself it was something that wouldn't hold Curtis (Martin) out," said Jordan, referring to his former New York Jets teammate and mentor. "I think the fact the ground (at the Coliseum) was so soft I could run on the side of my foot. So it was just one of those things."

Jordan rushed 25 or more times in three other games (26 for 126 yards against Dallas; 28 for 122 against Buffalo; 27 for 52 against Washington). There were other games in which Jordan did not distinguish himself.

Overall, his 12 dropped passes are the most of any player -- receivers included -- in the NFL this season, according to Stats, Inc.

Against Philadelphia, he carried 16 times for only 19 yards, a 1.2-yard average that left him seething. Following the Raiders' 27-14 loss to the Chargers on Oct. 16 in which he had 36 yards on 12 carries, Jordan suggested he would be at his best only if he received 23-26 carries per game.

Ultimately, Raiders coach Norv Turner said he thinks Jordan learned a lot this season about what it takes to be a durable, every-down back in the NFL.

"There is a process that a guy goes through and no question -- it's not even about 14 or 16 games -- it's about being the full-time guy, for an entire game," Turner said. "You learn the first time you do it. He hadn't done that since college."

At times, Jordan criticized himself and teammates for the Raiders' abundant penalties -- a league-high 139 fouls for 1,078 yards (third-most in the NFL) -- and their inattention to detail.

All of it makes him want to work harder this offseason than he ever has.

"Oh, yeah. The expectations that everybody had for us coming into this year and the expectations we had for ourselves, we came nowhere close to meeting those expectations," said Jordan, who said earlier this season that if the Raiders and their star-studded roster were to miss the playoffs, "we will be the (NFL's) most underachieving team, and we can't hold anybody accountable except ourselves."

On Tuesday, Jordan didn't back down from that assessment. The Raiders' offense, ranked 21st in yardage and 23rd in scoring, has scored only three touchdowns and 30 points in its last four games, all losses.

"Some people might disagree with me, but we did underachieve this year, based on the (roster) we have here," Jordan said, blunt as usual. "And if you look at our defense, our defense has played well enough for us to be in the playoffs right now. There's no doubt about that.

"Offensively, we've done nothing but let our defense down and let our team down. What we have to do is come back and reload and come back from there."